Changes

'''See something that interests you?''' To get in, you will need to design your project and find a mentor. On irc (#sugar on freenode) or the sugar-devel mailing list, you can briefly introduce yourself, state your interest, and ask relevant and specific questions about the state of the existing code. You should also do your own research for other open-source code that might help you. Get a [[DevelopmentTeam#Development_systems|development environment]] installed. We definitely appreciate it if you can show your readiness to help out - either joining [[BugSquad|bug squad]] and [[BugSquad/Meetings|helping]] to [[BugSquad/TriageGuide|triage]], or actually helping fix some small [http://tinyurl.com/ctfkjl bug].  

'''See something that interests you?''' To get in, you will need to design your project and find a mentor. On irc (#sugar on freenode) or the sugar-devel mailing list, you can briefly introduce yourself, state your interest, and ask relevant and specific questions about the state of the existing code. You should also do your own research for other open-source code that might help you. Get a [[DevelopmentTeam#Development_systems|development environment]] installed. We definitely appreciate it if you can show your readiness to help out - either joining [[BugSquad|bug squad]] and [[BugSquad/Meetings|helping]] to [[BugSquad/TriageGuide|triage]], or actually helping fix some small [http://tinyurl.com/ctfkjl bug].  

When you're ready, figure out a very basic, preliminary design (where does your new UI fit in? what about the code - what talks to what?) and post that to the [[http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Sugar_Labs/Contacts#Developer_Lists|mailing list]], asking if anybody would be willing to mentor you. You will almost certainly get some response, but you may not find a prospective mentor right away. That's OK. If your idea is really not a good fit for us, we will let you know; otherwise, remember that several mentors are holding back for now to see which projects shows the most feasibility, clarity, and creativity in their design ideas. Persistence should pay off.

When you're ready, figure out a very basic, preliminary design (where does your new UI fit in? what about the code - what talks to what?) and post that to the [[Sugar_Labs/Contacts#Developer_Lists|mailing list]], asking if anybody would be willing to mentor you. You will almost certainly get some response, but you may not find a prospective mentor right away. That's OK. If your idea is really not a good fit for us, we will let you know; otherwise, remember that several mentors are holding back for now to see which projects shows the most feasibility, clarity, and creativity in their design ideas. Persistence should pay off.

'''Want to apply with an idea not on this list?''' That's fine. Read the thread linked above about priorities - and remember, our highest priority is for you to have a successful GSoC and hopefully continue to contribute afterwards. Do the steps above, paying particular attention to getting some community members' opinions on whether your idea would be valuable. The [[Sugar_Labs/Contacts#General_List|"iaep" mailing list]] may be the best venue for this. We will not all agree about that - that's fine - but our feedback will almost certainly help you refine your idea.

'''Want to apply with an idea not on this list?''' That's fine. Read the thread linked above about priorities - and remember, our highest priority is for you to have a successful GSoC and hopefully continue to contribute afterwards. Do the steps above, paying particular attention to getting some community members' opinions on whether your idea would be valuable. The [[Sugar_Labs/Contacts#General_List|"iaep" mailing list]] may be the best venue for this. We will not all agree about that - that's fine - but our feedback will almost certainly help you refine your idea.